Israel’s Central Elections Committee has announced the results of the parliamentary election, confirming that opposition parties won 67 of the 120 seats in parliament, against 53 secured by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling bloc.
The opposition’s 67 seats include 48 won by parties aligned with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party. The remaining 19 seats were secured by Arab-led parties, including the Joint List, a coalition of three parties, and the Muslim Ra’am party.
Neither Messrs Netanyahu nor Eisenkot secured the 61 seats required to form a majority government without support from parties outside their respective blocs.
Central Elections Committee Chairman and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg presented the results to President Isaac Herzog.
Under Israeli law, Mr Herzog is expected to begin consultations with political parties on Wednesday to determine which lawmaker should be tasked with forming the next government.
Mr Herzog urged political parties to compromise on their election promises to avoid another election and facilitate the formation of a stable government.
”In the current reality, in which there is no clear winner after the election, I ask for originality and creativity, courage and goodwill,” he said.
The committee approved the results despite an ongoing investigation into suspected foreign interference.
Mr Sohlberg said the allegations remained unproven and did not warrant delaying the announcement.
”In recent days, voices have emerged seeking to cast doubt on the election results and challenge their validity.
”This is a real danger,” Mr Sohlberg said, stressing that the election had been conducted properly and the results reflected the will of voters.